Easter Friday, Major Rogation Day / Dom Prosper Gueranger

Tomorrow, Easter Friday is a solemnity, as is every day in the Octave of Easter. Therefore, there is no Friday penance required.

However, the Major Rogation Day (or Greater Litanies) of April 25th still stands in the trad calendar, which typically IS a day of penance. Saint Mark’s feast is not celebrated.  So, how do we deal with the conundrum of a joyful Easter Week solemnity, in addition to a day of penance? 

Just so happens, I found the perfect answer to this question at Catholic Culture.  They gave an excerpt from Dom Prosper Gueranger’s The Liturgical Year, a 15-volume work written in the 19th century.  Here’s an excerpt of the excerpt…

“We gather from an expression of St. Gregory the Great that it was an ancient custom in the Roman Church to celebrate, once each year, a Greater Litany, at which all the clergy and people assisted. This holy Pontiff chose April 25 as the fixed day for this procession…The question naturally presents itself—why did St. Gregory choose April 25 for a procession and Station in which everything reminds us of compunction and penance, and which would seem so out of keeping with the joyous season of Easter?  [He explains the history of all this, see Catholic Culture link above for full piece]…

But there was a striking contrast resulting from this institution, of which the holy Pontiff was fully aware, but which he could not avoid: it was the contrast between the joys of Paschal Time and the penitential sentiments wherewith the faithful should assist at the procession and Station of the Great Litany. Laden as we are with the manifold graces of this holy season, and elated with our Paschal joys, we must sober our gladness by reflecting on the motives which led the Church to cast this hour of shadow over our Easter sunshine…”

It seems that Holy Church in her wisdom gives us the occasional reminder, when this date is within the Octave of Easter, that we are not to get too caught up in festivities.  Even after the long, penitential Lent, we must remain vigilant in this brief life, when our actions will determine our eternal fate.  This is what I glean from Gueranger’s analysis.  Read his words and see what you think.

Gueranger goes on to say that on this day, in Italy and France, there was abstinence from meat.  In France, it was also deemed a day of rest.  The Litany of the Saints would be prayed as well, through the centuries.  There was however, no fasting. 

So the answer seems to be:  Yes, be joyful, but give yourself a reminder of the Lent you just experienced.  Do not run to the opposite extreme and forget Our Blessed Lord on the Cross.  Do not abandon him, as did so many others.

So who was this intriguing Dom Gueranger, who wrote so eloquently?  Adoremus has an article written by Joseph O’Brien, a Catholic homesteader in Wisconsin (he’s quite the writer himself) on the book by Dom Guy Marie Oury:  Dom Gueranger: A Monk at the Heart of the Church.  Here’s a portion…

“Dom Guy Marie Oury’s [book]…is an important book, if only because it offers our dying culture a road map to recovery…It should come as a surprise to no one that our culture—and Western Civilization as a whole—is dying. I say this not as a matter of pessimism. Nor am I discounting divine intervention. But there are symptoms enough to show that our culture is very much like the ‘patient etherized upon a table’ in T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’…

The answer is right before our eyes—and present to our other senses as well—in the sacred liturgy [he follows with facts about the life and times of Gueranger]…

Dom Gueranger: A Monk at the Heart of the Church provides a fully drawn…portrait of the man who had almost singlehandedly renewed the liturgy as the cultural heart of the Church. It also provides a living example of how Catholics can save civilization, one celebration of the Holy Mass at a time.”

Isn’t it wonderful to revive these traditions that connect us, like a golden thread, with the Body of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, through the ages?

  “I have no doubt that one day Catholicism will return to its place in this world, to which it alone holds the secret.”

Dom Prosper Gueranger

Easter Triduum Thoughts from FSSP

“Memento is a publication of the North American Province of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP).  It is published 10 times a year for the benefit of the supporters of the FSSP.”

If you support the traditional order of the Priestly Fraternity, you will receive the short newsletter mentioned above, at no additional cost.  It is very readable and very worth reading.  Here is a taste of what you will get, from their “Easter” April-May 2025 issue.  Here are a few quotes from 2 articles…

From the Provincial of the North American Province, Fr. William Lawrence:

“Without Our Divine Savior’s passion, death, and resurrection, death would have the ultimate victory over the human race, both physical and spiritual.”

“In the single most important aspect of our existence, our eternal salvation, we are unable to save ourselves, but are completely dependent upon the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”

“The ultimate goal of creation and each part of it, can only be the glory of God.”

“Only God can bring a greater good out of evil.  The greater the evil, the more opposed it is to good and thus the greater the glory of God in overcoming it and bringing forth the good.”

From Dr. David Arias, Professor of Philosophy at the Fraternity’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, in Denton, Nebraska…he speaks of 2 mysteries related to the Resurrection, our bodily resurrection at the end of time and also the resurrection of the soul:

“According to the Angelic Doctor [Saint Thomas Aquinas], every time a sinner is justified by God’s grace, either in Baptism or by the forgiveness of mortal sin in Confession, his soul is quite literally raised from the dead.”

“St. Thomas and St. Augustine both maintain that when God raises souls from the dead, this divine work is greater than the creation of the heavens and the earth…

…every time God raises a soul from the dead through sanctifying grace, His act terminates at an imperishable supernatural good, namely, a created participation in the divine nature itself.”

Let us pray for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to flourish, receive many new vocations and continue to save souls throughout the world!  Please consider supporting them…and there may be a Fraternity parish near you, see above link.  My family has been very blessed by attending one of their parishes in New Jersey, Our Lady of Fatima, when we used to spend much time there.

Correspondence with FSSP on April 25th

I have changed my trad Catholic calendar this year to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s. I noticed on April 25th, there was no typical feast of Saint Mark, yet the Major Rogation Day remained. I thought this was a mistake, so I contacted them. Here was the gracious response of Claudio Salvucci, Communications Director for FSSP:

“In the specific case of April 25th this year, the omission of St. Mark was not an oversight. The days of Holy Week and Easter Week are privileged to the extent that they cannot be displaced by another feast, so St. Mark is simply suppressed in favor of Easter Friday this year. Though I believe in some cases the feast can be postponed until the Monday following Low Sunday if, for example, it is a patronal feast for a diocese or parish. The same principle is why the Annunciation was postponed to April 8th last year…

[Regarding the Major Rogation Day] Part of the reason is that the 1962 Missal says explicitly that when the feast of St. Mark is transferred, the Rogation procession is not transferred. Unless Apr. 25th falls on Easter Monday, in which case the procession is moved one day to Easter Tuesday.”

Mr. Salvucci also sent me some FSSP Liturgical Ordo notes (how cool is that):

“April 25, 2025: Greater Litanies...The ferial Mass of the Octave of Easter is celebrated with a commemoration of the Major Litanies, even at sung Masses. There is no commemoration of St. Mark...The Rogation Mass can be celebrated on April 25th only if the Mass be preceded by the Litany and Procession or other appointed supplications.”

 I hope that clears up any confusion any other liturgical calendar nerd out there might have had:)

Cardinal Burke's Septuagesima Thoughts

Ash Wednesday is Approaching... Are You Ready?

“What am I going to do this Lent to draw closer to God in prayer? What am I going to do this lent to purify my life of things that are sinful?” Cardinal Burke prompts us to ask ourselves for the intense period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent.

In the video above, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke mentions Septuagesima as something that was practiced in the past and encourages his flock to renew this custom. We traditional Catholics still observe this season of preparation for Lent. Listen to Cardinal Burke’s inspiring thoughts and consider perusing the “Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe” website. They also have a YouTube channel.

Beautiful Land Transformation in Africa

Inside Africa's Food Forest Mega-Project

“Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys with the UN World Food Programme to the country of Niger in the African Sahel to see an innovative land recovery project within the Great Green Wall of Africa that is harvesting rainwater, increasing food security, and rehabilitating the ecosystem.”

Above is a 14-minute video that will make you smile. Look at the sense of joy and community these people now have. This is what we mean by “The Authentic Life.” Notice any smartphones?

There’s so much to learn here!

Christmas Meditation from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

Well, we’re getting this out on the trad feast of the Epiphany, better late than never! It has been quite a project going through the entire book and extricating the “best” quotes (which is hard to do because every sentence is genius). My best advice is: read the book! But it is not for the faint-hearted and if you want an intellectual challenge, you got it.

According to the traditional Liturgical Calendar, Christmastide began the evening of December 24th with the Mass discussed below. This is not the Midnight Mass, it is the vigil. Christmastide extends until the octave of Epiphany, at which time we enter Time After Epiphany, which extends till Septuagesima (technically Lent). The Cycle of Christmas, when we meditate upon the Incarnation, extends from Advent to Septuagesima, when we begin our meditation upon the Redemption. Christmas celebration, according to my pastor, generally goes until the Feast of the Presentation, February 2nd, as this is last of the major feasts of the Cycle of Christmas.

There is supplemental Advent material in the book, which I will be completing for you, just to be thorough, with PDFs. Then we will have a complete study of Advent of the Heart, which should be used in conjunction with the book. This can be for family or church use. I was unsuccessful in establishing an Advent prayer group this past year, but will try again next year. In fact, I hope to be having regular Nomen Christi meetings by then. If you are local, please get on our email list, so we can contact you! Meetings will be held in the mid-Long Island area.

ADVENT OF THE HEART

+   Christmas Meditation ~ Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr   +

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  All quotes below are from the Christmas Vigil Tridentine Mass, along with commentary written in Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944, shortly before Fr. Delp’s martyrdom…

Opening Psalm:

“This day you shall know that the Lord will come, and save us: and in the morning you shall see His glory.”

“This means, first, quite simply the nearness of the holy day, the relationship between the Vigil Mass and Christmas Day.  However, it also means a continuing condition, a basic principle of our lives…Man wants so much to regard the known as if it were the final answer, and to feel at home there and settle himself firmly…Man must keep going, keep traveling toward life’s prize…This [text] evokes a creative and healing restlessness in us, to which we are indebted for everything that is authentic and fully alive…And now, at the gates of The Christmas mystery, through which we want to enter as though it were the rediscovered Paradise, the same motif will come into play…You have heard and understood the message…You should set out toward the tangible fulfillment and encounter.  Here too, is the old tension.  Here, too, is the principle of archery: the bow can be drawn only when the archer bears the burden… “

Collect (prayer prior to Epistle):

“O God, Who dost gladden us by the yearly expectation of our redemption, grant that we, who now joyfully receive Thine only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, may also without fear behold Him coming as our Judge, even the same Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son.”

“…the liturgy rescues the image of the incarnate God from the danger of being seen as delicate and innocuous…we are reminded that the Child at whose coming we are rejoicing is the future Judge of our lives.  These smiling eyes of the Child will someday focus on us in mature, solemn examination and judgment.”

Epistle, Romans 1:1:

“…the Gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son, who was made to Him of the seed of David according to the flesh: who was predestinated the Son of God in power according to the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead: by whom we have received grace, and apostleship for obedience to the faith in all nations…”

“As the Epistle…intones, [of the seed of David according to the flesh]…It is the incomprehensible fact of God entering into history, that He stepped into our law, into our space, into our existence, and not only like one of us, bus as one of us…Paul says of this relationship to Christ, [by whom we have received grace, and apostleship for obedience to the faith in all nations]…All encounters with God challenge His creatures to response and mission.”

Post-Communion:

“We beseech Thee, O Lord, grant us fresh courage [or breath, respirare in Latin], as we celebrate the birthday of Thine only-begotten Son: Whose heavenly Mystery is our food and drink.”

“…we will seldom pray a word so earnestly, honestly, and longingly as this respirare asking for breath at the close of the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass: Lord, give us breath.  Let us draw a deep breath because the stones have fallen from our hearts, because life is on solid ground again…here we have arrived at the heights upon which the respirare, the sigh of relief, the new breath, can happen…The world continues on its course, but it has become the barque of the Lord God that no storm can overturn and no flood can tear asunder.”

 FR. DELP’S CHRISTMAS MEDITATION PRINTABLE PDF

We Don't Usually Do This...

BUT…

LifeSite News Really Needs Our Help!

Please consider giving Christmas alms to this very important bastion of faith and freedom. From their site:

“We are now in RED ALERT! We are halfway through our winter campaign and have only raised 35% of the goal. We need to raise 65% more to keep LifeSiteNews’ truth-telling voice online. Please chip in TODAY to help us continue our mission.”

See above link and God bless you!

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception

How exciting!  We enter a new Liturgical Year, the Season of Advent and the traditional Cycle of Christmas, when we meditate upon the Mystery of the Incarnation.  Unlike our cultural norms of indulgence and attending party after party, we who devoutly observe Advent, know this is a time of preparation and waiting.  We do not celebrate until Christ is born.  Until then, we make ourselves ready by performing penance and good deeds.  Joy is always greater when there has been some discipline preceding the event.

We commemorate the Divine Infancy this month as we prepare to celebrate Our Blessed Lord’s Nativity.  As well, we honor Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States of America.  With all the need presently in this country, let us flee to her in prayer, beseeching many graces.  The feast of the Immaculate Conception remains on December 8th in the trad calendar.  In the new, it has been transferred to the 9th and is a Holy Day of Obligation. 

Where can you get a good 2025 liturgical calendar?  At Nomen Christi Apostolate, we represent unity between traditional Catholics and those who attend the Novus Ordo.  Therefore we look at both calendars and when composing these monthly reviews, refer to both.  Admittedly, this can be confusing.  We recommend you choose the calendar you prefer and have it in your home to advise you of feasts each month…or hang both calendars!  Many parishes distribute calendars for free.  As for a trad calendar, here's a good one, which will also support the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter:

Fraternity Publications 2025 Liturgical Calendar

Let us remember the Ember Days of Advent on the 18th, 20th and 21st.  This is great time to do Christmas crafts with children, incorporating winter themes.  Encouraging children to perform acts of charity on these days would also be in keeping with the penitential character of the Ember Days, along with Advent.

A most Blessed Christmas and Christmas Season to all!

SAINT ANDREW CHRISTMAS PRAYER

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires
through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother.

Amen.

November Plenaries from the 1st to the 8th...Prepare for Them!

From Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:

PLENARY INDULGENCE

An indulgence that can remove all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. No one but God knows for certain when a plenary indulgence is actually gained, because only He knows whether a person's dispositions are adequate. One norm for such dispositions is that "all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent." If these dispositions are in any way less than complete, the indulgence will only be partial. The same provision applies to the three external conditions necessary to gain a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. If these conditions are not satisfied, an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial. These conditions may be satisfied several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, though preferably Communion should be received and the prayers offered for the Pope on the same day as the indulgenced work. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.

From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Holy Cross Chaplaincy:

Six General Rules for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence

1. State of grace…when performing the indulgenced act

2. Complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

3. Confession (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

4. Communion (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

5. Prayers for the Supreme Pontiff (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

6. Indulgenced Act: a special good work with…conditions of place and time

Indulgenced Acts to be Performed for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Purgatory

• From November 1 to 8: visit of a cemetery with mental prayer for the poor souls

• On November 2: visit of a church or an oratory with one Our Father and one Creed being recited

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Solar Flares, Etc.

SOLAR FLARE WARNING CONTINUES: We saw the red aurora last night on Long Island, quite beautiful. But it also feels like a sign from God. It seems similar to the red aurora seen just prior to WWII, as Our Lady of Fatima predicted. Let us all ask for mercy and peace…and continue to pray for those in need after these 2 recent hurricanes in the US. For live updates of the solar condition: Space Weather Prediction Center Please also see our recommendations we posted during the last solar storm: Coronal Mass Ejections…

END OF SEASON GARDEN SUPPLIES! Think about taking advantage of end-of-season sales at your local garden/outdoor center. I just bought 17 seed packets and a new fire pit, that I saved $200 on! I also bought some popsicle sticks. They are great for marking plants. You can get huge boxes at craft stores.

CHECK OUT DISASTER PREPARER. You can get Electromagnetic Pulse products, books, electronic privacy items, audio books and videos.

FOR ALL YOU WOODWORKERS! Check out Highland Woodworking, Fine Tools & Education. My hubby is an unplugged carpenter hobbyist (thank goodness, if he worked with power tools, I would have a nervous breakdown) and buys from them. Have a look at their website for sales, catalog, newsletter, classes, library, blog, TV show, job opportunities, books and DVDs. Is that enough? If you’re just thinking about taking up wood crafts, this is a great place to get started! (Christmas is coming, encourage someone you know to develop this important sustainable skill with a simple gift such as a book or DVD-Saint Joseph will be very pleased.)